january 1st
by tails the cute fox
Summary: For most people, birthdays are a special happy time. But not for me. I made a mistake on my birthday that I can never take back: I went into swallow woods. The place where only dead men walk. I am Len Tao and this is my story...


**Hey guys! This is a birthday fic for the most epic character in shaman king: Len Tao. It is my first birthday fic but I wrote this (Started writing) on the 30****th**** so if it came out later sorry. Also in the beginning of the fiction, Len is just going to turn 13.  
Len: Oh finally! A fic where I'm not tortured in some form  
Ttcf: Don't be so sure * really evil laugh***

_**January 1**__**st**___

For most people, birthdays are a special happy time. But not for me. I made a mistake on my birthday that I can never take back: I went into swallow woods. The place where only dead men walk. I am Len Tao and this is my story...

It was my 10th birthday and I couldn't believe how long it had been since the tournament was postponed. I was on my own as well – Jun had left and taken _uncles_ side. The man hated me and the thought of him sent shivers up my spine. No doubt that I would get his 'present'. Every year on my birthday, he would send some sort of weapon infused with furyoko to beat me. I wondered what it was, fearing the worst. But what I received, it was nothing I ever thought I would ever get. I live dangerously close to the woods. Swallow woods. Children were never given warnings to never go near it because they knew that evil lurked there. And so did I. Everyone did. Even the infamous Zeke Asakura stays away from the woods. But no one actually knew what the danger is. We just stayed as far away from it. But my house was closer than the any other. And that helped my nightmare begin.

I was walking down the road when Yoh came over. He handed me a packed and said that it was whirlwind information – top secret. The whirlwind team is the organisation I work for. Me Lyserg, jocko, Yoh, Anna and the others work there. I was in charge of monitoring how the others do on their missions. We didn't just consist of shamans. There were tons of different people and teams positioned worldwide. And I used to make sure that everything was ok. Since the disturbance a year ago our recruits had quite, afraid of Zeke. So it was a shock when he handed me the information.  
"Keep it hidden. There are two people who are hell bent on getting this. We know that they work for your uncle so be careful. I don't know why kayleigh asked me to give this to you but she recons it's safer."He explained to me. I remember nodding back. Kayleigh was, and still is, the boss who at the time had recently been promoted after the old one left. Yoh walked off and I was alone again. But not for very long.

Two girls in Chinese out fits came up behind me and I guessed that they were sent by uncle so I ran. They blocked all exits .All except one: The swallow woods. I gulped and ran into the trees, mentally kicking myself for some reason. It was only until I realised that I was in the heart of the woods that they had stopped following me.  
"Stupid uncle" I grumbled. The memory is as clear as anything. As I stumbled over the branches, I came across a portal. Every instinct in my body was screaming at me to turn and high tail it out of there but I was a whirlwind member and it was something serious, I would never live it down. So I went through it and was shocked by what I saw: Darkness and fire. I turned to leave but the portal had gone and I was trapped. I sat down, thinking "How did this happen to me?" When a saw something breathing. It wasn't human and, when my eyes had adjusted to the light, I saw it had eight legs. Like a spider. But it was too big to be a spider. There was a shaking sound as it lumbered towards me and it fixed its eight on me. It had to be a spider. I looked round and realised that I was surrounded by them. So I ran. I heard shouts behind me and sighed: Kayleigh and the guys. I looked back but I was too far away for them to get there in time so I continued running. I saw a castle surrounded by lava that bubbled and frothed. There was a bridge and I crossed it without taking in the surroundings. Oh how I wish I had.

The room I went into was littered with webs and I gulped again. I heard something behind me so I turned: To huge spiders.  
"What business to you have boy?"One snarled and I was taken back. The other stared at me and whispered to the other  
"Give him the test" I heard and curiosity over took sense.  
"What test?"I enquired .They faced me and replied.  
"The test of escape. We blindfold you and you choose a corridor. Choose the wrong one and your life becomes ours to do with as we please. Choose the right one and you escape this dimension."It explained as I was blindfolded. I heard them scuttling down a corridor as I walked towards the left. I wish I had chosen the right. As the corridor ended, I could smell the rotting of flesh as I realised that I had chosen the wrong one. I felt the blindfold whipped off of my face and a pair of fangs inject themselves into my chest. I heard them whisper to each other just minutes before my conscious slipped.  
"We must thank en for arranging this" I groaned as I heard my uncle's name. Just as darkness ate at my vision I heard people yell my name. But that was all I heard for a while.

It was a month later when I looked up. I was in my bedroom with a pounding headache. I've gotten used to them now but at the time they were unbearable. I saw kayleigh in the corner and couldn't understand how I had lived. They should have killed me after all. It took some explaining but they told me that they had found me unconscious and on the verge of death. Whilst they destroyed the spiders, Faust had treated me but the poison had got round my body fast so I didn't recover for a while. I was grateful, at the time, that they had saved me but now I wish I had been left to die. For now I suffer with excruciating headaches, nightmares and blood control. The blood control is the worst – he found a way into my mind and when I'm at my lowest , when I'm ill , I doubt myself or worst case scenario depression , he can control me. It's horrible. It's like being locked in a room that's constantly spinning .I'm trapped in my own mind as I watch myself do unspeakable things to my friends. I've grown to hate myself, despite what my friends say, because I feel like I'm pure evil. The only reason they know is because one night they told me to come on holiday with them. Me and yoh were roommates and I attacked him. I don't even know how but some way, he broke the control. Not before everyone had seen though. They looked at me in horror, including Yoh. At that point I broke down, fell to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably and apologising. I received the death slap from Anna and cried even harder. My friends were both disgusted and shocked at me, only Yoh and kayleigh bothered to hear my story. I remember sobbing harder when they ask me why I did it. I remember the puzzled looks on their faces when I said that I had meant to tell them sooner.  
"Tell us what?"Yoh had asked me. I told him about the blood control and what my uncle had been doing to me. I explained that I had been hiding it for a year. It was my birthday. His hold was its strongest. I explained it, but in parts. Everyone tried to comfort me but I knew, and still know, that I was a was my last holiday. On the last day, my headaches grew worse. I was screaming in pain because of them. Yoh and the others had to wake me; I was just in so much pain. I lock all the windows and doors now, to stop me attacking anyone every again

That is why I hate, no loath my birthday. It is a curse on my life and I no longer want it. I often have tried suicide by I, by some unwanted miracle, have survived. The others tell me that there is a cure but I know there isn't. So I struck a deal with my uncle: If he stopped these pains, the blood control, I would become his slave. Stupid I know but it worked. Only now I'm in more pain. I have things thrown at me, I'm whipped. Yoh has tried to help me, to recue me but I tell him that I am happier now. After all, I'm only a servant.

**Happy birthday Len! This story should make **_**the never ending torture**_ **make a little bit more sense. I was originally going to call this October 2****nd**** but I thought since its January in a few days , I would tweak it a little bit.  
Len :Why me**


End file.
